TWENTY years ago, on August 17th 1998, the Russian government devalued the rouble, defaulted on its domestic debts and suspended all payments to foreign creditors. It was one of the most dramatic days of a year-long emerging-market crisis that began with the devaluation of the Thai baht. South Korea and Malaysia would suffer brutal recessions. President Suharto of Indonesia was forced to resign after 32 years that May. But it was Russia’s default that shook the world.
Talk of rich-world recession was soon in the air. The Federal Reserve would cut interest rates three times before the year was out. The MSCI index of emerging-market stocks, which had lost 40% of its dollar value in the year leading up to August 1998, dropped by more than a quarter in that month alone.
Emerging-market assets are not as scorned now as they were then. The panic resulting from Turkey’s crisis is not anything like as acute. But there is no shortage of reasons for investors to be wary.
Unloved asset…
